The big mover in cameras has to be the GoPro series. Motorcycle riders
have started to sprout these strange appendages on the top of their
helmets, and no even semi-serious adventure exponent would be seen dead
without one. Rather than tell people about the one that got away, you
can now show the thrilling struggle of man versus fish!
Called the Hero cameras, these have been brilliantly marketed, as well
as being brilliant at what they are supposed to do. The unspoken promise
being that with one of these you too will be a hero. And what’s more on
land or underwater.
The top Hero in the range is the Hero 4 Black that shoots 4K video at
30fps, 2.7K/50fps and 1080p/120fps video, 12 MP photos up to 30 frames
per second and features built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and Protune for
photos and video and is waterproof to 40 meters. You will pay somewhere
between 16,000 and 18,000 THB.
The Hero 4 Silver shoots 1080p video up to 60fps and 720p/120fps video,
12MP photos up to 30 frames per second. It features built-in Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth, and Protune for photos and video and is also waterproof to 40
m. This one is around 14,000 THB.
However, GoPro has just released another camera, to slot in below the 4
Black and Silver range. This is the GoPro Hero Session and being a
simpler action camera is aimed at those who want to shoot without fuss.
The Hero Session is a cube-shaped camera about the size of a Hero 4’s
lens. It is 40 percent lighter and 50 percent smaller than the rest of
the Hero 4 range.
With GoPro still leading the action camera market, the Session is a sign
it is trying to appeal to all users.
The Session is all about simplicity and doesn’t need a case to be
waterproof. It also features the durability of other GoPro cameras, and
it is waterproof up to 10 meters of water.
To show the ease of using, press one button and the camera starts
recording video. Hold the button down for three seconds as you turn it
on, and it shoots photos.
As opposed to its bigger brothers, the Session does not shoot 4K video
but does capture HD footage at 1440p and 1080p, as well as 720p in
slow-mo action clips.
As a still camera, it shoots 8 megapixel images at 10 frames per second
in burst mode, or in time-lapse mode of up to 0.5 frame per second.
However, to change its settings, you must link it to a GoPro Smart
Remote or a device using the GoPro app over a wi-fi connection.
If you mount the GoPro Hero Session upside down for space reasons, the
electronics with reverse this for you automatically.
This small, cubed-shaped camera offers a quick and easy point-and-shoot
experience.
For GoPro addicts looking for new angles, the size of the Hero Session
opens new ways to carry and mount cameras. All the amazing shots you see
taken from the front of racing cars can be achieved with this camera. It
is also small enough to be carried by animals without causing distress.
GoPro chief executive Nick Woodman, one of the initiators of the action
camera market after filming waves while surfing in Australia, says, “We
think of GoPro as a movement. It’s a movement that’s enabling the
highest quality user-generated content that the world has ever seen,
blurring the lines with professionally produced content.
“It’s a movement that is driving higher levels of social engagement and
social activity than ever before.
“And it’s a movement so powerful that it’s also helping launch new
platforms, platforms that could be how we all communicate in the future
like virtual reality.
“It’s actually not that easy to make something that works as well and
reliably as a GoPro. We have made a breakthrough and we have made
something that is worth turning into reality.
“The Hero Session is so small, so convenient, so versatile, and we’re so
stoked to what it’s going to add to the whole GoPro movement.”
I believe this will be the start of a world-wide boom in recording
action footage, bringing YouTube with it!